Developing Your Baby’s Self Concept
When your little one is born, he doesn’t have a sense of himself or understand his individuality. In the months to come, he will develop a sense of self by interacting with you and his surroundings. A sense of self is nothing but a self-concept and a healthy self-concept works like your baby’s armor against the various challenges in the world.
It is very important to help your baby develop a sense of himself in order to cross important developmental milestones of life. Here are some ways you can help your baby develop self-concept.
1. Learn About One Another
Learning about one another is the most important aspect of a healthy relationship between you and your baby. As you learn more about your baby, she will also learn about you. When your baby begins to make her first facial expressions, try to understand what they mean and respond back. Imitating her facial expressions will help a great deal in making your baby develop a sense of herself.
2. Tune Into Your Baby’s World
In order to help your baby develop a sense of his own individuality, it is important that you first tune into his little world. Slow down and look at the world from his perspective. Observe your baby’s reactions to sights, sounds and texture. This will help you understand how your little one is coping with the environment and will encourage your baby’s process of developing self-concept.
3. Making Your Baby Aware of Action and Consequences
A major part of your baby developing a sense of self depends on her being aware of actions and consequences. Play and encourage games that involve activities that have a consequence. Engage her with games that have both positive and negative consequences to the actions she chooses.
4. Introduce Mirror Play
This one of the best ways to increase your baby’s self-awareness. Keep a full length unbreakable mirror in your baby’s room and allow him to keep going near it. He will observe his reflection and begin to interact with it. You can also cover your home with pictures of your baby so that your baby gets to observe them all around and realizes a sense of himself. He will slowly begin to recognize and realize his own individuality.
5. Encourage Language Skills
Babies learn language skills in an attempt to express themselves. Expression is one of the key factors in the development of self-concept. Stay in tune with the new ways your baby will try to express her day to day feelings. Encouraging your little one to express and communicate openly will help her to develop a sense of self and confidence in the long run.
Each baby is different and has unique characteristics. Some develop sense of self sooner, while some take time. Each parent is also unique and parenting methods differ widely. Caring for your little one and helping her adapt to the world to become an individual is a delicate balance. Keep encouraging your little one and see how soon she turns into a unique individual!
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